|
Program Goals
1. The overall goal of the St. Louis VAMC Dietetic Internship Program is to prepare entry-level generalist dietitians who have achieved basic competence in clinical, administrative, and community dietetics as measured by:
-
1.1 95% of interns who begin program will complete it.
-
1.2 First time pass rate of the RD exam over a 5 year period will be equal to or greater than 90%.
-
1.3 Within 6 months of graduation, 80% of graduates who seek dietetics related employment will have attained a dietetics related position.
-
1.4 At least 90% of employers responding to post graduate surveys will give graduates an overall rating of average or above when surveyed within 18 months of graduation.
2. To provide graduates with increased opportunities to work for the VA Health System as measured by:
3. To instill in the entry-level dietitian the value of life-long learning and responsibility for further professional growth and development as measured by:
-
3.1 90% of graduates will report participating in continuing education activities when surveyed within 18 months of graduation.
-
3.2 80% of graduates will report being current members of the American Dietetic Association when surveyed within 18 months of graduation
-
3.3 20% of graduates will have started or have completed an advanced degree or certification within 5 years of graduation.
Open House Schedule
We are pleased to provide you with an opportunity to come and learn more about our Dietetic Internship Program at the St. Louis Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Attendees will be given a detailed program overview, will be invited to take a tour of our facilities, and will have a chance to meet the internship director as well as interact with current staff, preceptors, and dietetic interns.
When: Friday, November 16, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
Where: St. Louis Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
1 Jefferson Barracks Drive
Saint Louis, MO 63125
Auditorium (park in visitors parking in front of building 1; enter main lobby in building 1 and follow signs to auditorium)
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
For more information/RSVP:
Please contact Dietetic Internship Director, Amy Knoblock-Hahn at 314-894-6631 or via email at Amy.KnoblockHahn@va.gov for more information or to RSVP for one of the open house dates.
St. Louis VAMC
The St. Louis VAMC is a state-of-the-art tertiary medical facility consisting of two separate hospitals under one management. The VA health care delivery system provides comprehensive care for both inpatients and outpatients. There are approximately 290 hospital beds and 64 nursing home beds between the two divisions. In addition, the medical center treats about 325,000 outpatient visits each year. The medical center has active educational affiliations with several medical, nursing, pharmacy and other professional training programs.
The John Cochran Division (JC) is located in close proximity to its affiliated medical schools - St. Louis University and Washington University - in midtown St. Louis. Patient care at the JC Division includes a major portion of the outpatient clinics and the acute medical, surgical, and specialty care areas.
The Jefferson Barracks Division (JB) is 18 miles southeast of the JC Division. It is a multi-building complex overlooking the Mississippi River in south St. Louis County. The focus of the JB Division includes psychiatric treatment, spinal cord injury treatment, a nursing home care unit, geriatric health care, rehabilitation services, and a domiciliary for homeless veterans. The JB Division is the location of the dietetic internship offices.
Back To The Top
The Dietetic Internship Program
The St. Louis Department of Veterans Affairs Dietetic Internship Program is a 42-week educational program in general dietetics. The educational experiences of classes and rotations focus on developing values, interrelationships and management of resources to prepare the practitioner to assist others in meeting the challenges of their social and physical environments. The curriculum encourages the development of a disciplined mind, critical and creative thought, skills in human relations and communications, flexibility as well as professional competence.
Orientation
Orientation begins the middle of August. Interns receive an overview of the DVA, its facilities, the Nutrition and Foodservice Program, the internship and its activities. A tour of both divisions and meetings with other health care team members are scheduled. Discussions are based on the philosophy of learning, the interns' role as a professional-in-training and location of resources available to interns. Initial classes on skills needed for patient care are also included.
Curriculum
Clinical rotations make up the largest portion of the internship’s 42-week program. The clinical experience is divided into several rotations that provide interns both broad based and in-depth experiences in nutritional care. General rotations include medicine, geriatrics/rehab, outpatient counseling, and psychiatry. Specialty areas include renal, diabetes clinics, oncology, pediatrics, spinal cord injury, and nutrition support. The finale is when you assume responsibility for the duties of a clinical dietitian in Clinical Staff Experience.
Administrative rotations are planned to provide interns with a variety of food service systems management experiences. Rotations include food production and procurement, food service systems, personnel management and employee education, catering, and administrative experience. Interns will plan and supervise a theme meal, and will complete an administrative project for the medical center.
Community rotations include rotations with Operation Food Search, WIC, and an employee wellness program. In addition to these planned community experiences, interns will also be given several opportunities to participate in community wellness and culinary programs ranging from an after school program for overweight children and adolescents to teaching classes in the community and assisting with cooking demonstrations. Throughout the course of the internship, interns will also visit a variety of community settings as an arranged field trip on a class day.
Graduate courses are not part of the curriculum.
Schedule & Holidays
Interns spend eight hours per week in the classroom and 32 hours per week in a supervised practice setting. Class days are reserved for class sessions, guest lecturers, field trips, planning sessions for individual and group projects, and presentations. Additional time above the scheduled hours is necessary for rotation preparation and assignments, professional meetings, and other related activities.
Eight vacation days and those holidays granted to federal employees are also included in the program. Infrequent weekends, nights and holidays may be part of the intern’s schedule.
Program Completion
Program completion is reached when the intern has satisfied all learning objectives within established levels of performance. Successful completion fulfills requirements for membership in the American Dietetic Association. Graduates are eligible to take the registration examination for dietitians.
Anticipated Expenses
The availability of a stipend varies on an annual basis, but is approximately $10,000 and is paid throughout the course of the internship.
Interns selected for the program should anticipate the following expenses:
1. Housing
2. Personal expenses.
3. Student professional liability insurance ($35.00).
4.Textbooks/reference manuals ($200.00).
5. Registration fees and expenses for professional meetings (~$250.00).
6. Transportation and parking for field experiences.
7. Affiliate membership dues for the American Dietetics Association ($43.00).
8. Incidental supplies for assignments and projects ($100).
9. White uniform/shoes for administrative rotations ($50).
Transportation
Due to travel distance between facilities, interns are required to have a reliable form of transportation, a valid driver’s license and liability insurance.
Accreditation
The St. Louis VA Medical Center Dietetic Internship is currently granted accreditation status by the Commission on Accreditation/Approval for Dietetics Education of the American Dietetic Association, 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60606.
Application Procedures
A maximum of six interns are appointed annually. Appointment notifications are made in April for the following fall according to the procedures established by the American Dietetic Association (ADA). A selection committee will review your application. Your application will be scored on the following selection criteria:
- Grade Point Average: We are looking for a minimum GPA of 3.0 (if your GPA is below this, please explain in your personal letter)
- Work and volunteer experience (excluding practicum experience) which show exposure and commitment to the field.
- Extracurricular activities related to dietetics. These may include volunteer experiences, food drives, student dietetic club membership, nutrition educational materials and/or classes you have developed.
- Letters of recommendation. Two should be from college professors/instructors and one should be from a work supervisor. Please choose professors/supervisors whom can adequately assess your abilities to perform in a dietetic internship and as a registered dietitian.
- Personal letter of application. We want to know why you are interested in becoming a dietitian and why you are interested in coming to the St. Louis VA. We want to know what your long-term and short-term goals are, and what your interests in dietetics are. We are looking for candidates whom have overall goals that match with what we can provide.
- Phone interview (select applicants) conducted by one or more members of the selection committee.
For admission to the internship, an individual must complete the minimum academic requirements set forth by ADA and be a U.S. citizen. The applicant must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and must have completed the requirements of an accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD). Official transcripts indicating the date of confirmation of your degree plus a DPD Verification Statement are required prior to the start of the internship.
With the exception of transcripts, application packets should include one original and two copies of all of the following (total of 3 copies); in other words, you should not send three copies of your official transcripts, but you should have a total of three copies of all of the other application components:
1. Application available at ADA Application and Recommendation forms To order the disk from the ADA call 1-800-877-1600 extension 5000. Ask for the "Supervised Practice Program Application Disk", catalogue #0406. Your college program director may also have a copy of the disk available for your use). Form must be completed, signed and dated.
2. Official transcript from all universities attended.
3. An originally signed Declaration of Intent to Complete Degree and Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) or Verification Statement of program completion.
4. Three references submitted on ADA Recommendation forms with letters of recommendation. Two of the references must be major professors in foods and nutrition and/or institutional management. The third should be your supervisor in a work or volunteer experience.
5. Letter of application. Your letter should include reasons for applying to our program, a statement of your long-term and short-term professional goals, elaboration on your extra-curricular college or university activities and any community services, and personal attributes as they would contribute to the program and the profession. Please also include a telephone number and address that you can be reached at on appointment day.
6. Select applicants may be asked to participate in a phone interview.
7. U.S. citizenship at time of application is required.
There is NO APPLICATION FEE for our program.
Completed application packets must be postmarked no later than
February 15 in order to be considered. Completed application packets should be mailed to:
Amy Knoblock-Hahn, M.S., R.D., L.D.
Dietetic Internship Director
Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
1 Jefferson Barracks Drive (120 JB)
St. Louis, MO 63125
Application materials will not be returned unless a written request accompanies the application materials. Confidential reference letters and forms will not be returned.
All applicants to the Dietetic Internship (DI) must participate in computer matching. Applicants should request instructions and a mark/sense card to prioritize their DI preferences. Applicants should request this material from any ADA-approved Didactic Program in Dietetics or from D&D Digital Systems. This request should be made to allow turn around time for submitting by a February 15, 2007 postmark deadline. There is no charge for this material. However, there is a $50.00 charge for computer matching that is due with the applicant’s prioritized ranking.
Address request to:
D&D Digital Systems
304 Main St., Suite 301
Ames, IA 50010-6148
(515) 292-0490
Fax: (515) 663-9427
Email: dnd@netins.net
Please be sure to read Applicant Responsibilities for the application, computer matching, and appointment procedures at: ADA Applicant Responsibilities
Appointment Procedures
D&D Digital Systems will provide all applicants their personal matching results via posting on the D&D Digital Systems Web site at www.dnddigital.com on notification day. Appointees to the St. Louis Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center’s Dietetic Internship Program are to telephone the Dietetic Internship Director to accept or reject the appointment. Appointees must accept or reject the appointment by 5:00 p.m. Central Time on April 17. Appointees are to call Amy Knoblock-Hahn M.S., R.D., L.D., Dietetic Internship Director, at (314) 894-6631.
A letter will be sent to appointees confirming the dietetic internship appointment. Appointees must also respond in writing within 48 hours of the telephone communication of their acceptance or rejection of the appointment.
Appointees must be physically and mentally able to safely and efficiently perform the responsibilities of a dietetic intern. Appointees will be given a physical examination at a Department of Veterans Affairs facility prior to reporting for duty. The physical examination must be satisfactory in order to be accepted into the Dietetic Internship Program. Should the physical examination be unsatisfactory, no part of the expense involved in reporting or returning home can be borne by the Federal Government.
The federal government does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, national origin, age or disability.
Housing
More information about apartments located near the VA Medical Center can be obtained by contacting the internship director.
Back To The Top
|
